If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

if sony want to operate in a global world, then they follow global requirments. contrary to popular belief for some americans, there is a whole other world outside of your borders...and i dont just mean hawaii.

the amount of things, (and irrelevant things at that), you get your knickers in a knot over is staggering.

This was easy to spot. It does leave you to wonder ... what over little nuances are missing from the cameras because some market restricted it?

Rememeber SONY Betamax tapes? Probably not. Anyway, there were two main types of video-tape recording going on in the world, back in the early 80s. SONY Betamax and VHS. Betamax was clearly the better format, having less noise, a better resolution image ... but, because SONY did not want the porno industry recording on their tape (and porno is the source of a whole lot of industry and jobs, on the internet, these days) and the fact that VHS manufacturers had no such problem with it ... Betamax died! The market determined that the "better" tape was problematic ... by arbitrary decision-making.

So, for whatever reason you want to toy with ... the fact remains, arbitrarily screwing everyone because one market has issues ... is supercilious and counterproductive. Perhaps the "video-in-the-DSLR" market is so small ... it will not matter, in the big picture. Still ... it seems a little like history repeating itself. Some guys never learn.

Experience is the result of the fact that you were not born yesterday.

ot sure if youre a fan of the simpsons but i remember this one episode where we were inside Odi's head and listening to Bart talk the way a dog hears humnas speak...

Anyway, the 29-minute, 59-second thing is being imposed on us by another government, in my own country. Being an American, I am not liking that kind of crud.

Then think very long and very hard about all the interventions in other Governments including political assassination, Government overthrows, corruption and destabilisation that the US has been involved in over the last 50 years or so before you start complaining. If all you have to worry about is a stupid largely irreverent time restriction you are a very lucky person.

David, regardless of how you want to "pass the buck" ... begging off on corporate agreements or whatnot, the fact remains, the United States should not have to abide by EU regulations or impositions. It is that simple.

Let's try this one more time. The US isn't imposing any restrictions on any manufacturers. Sony is deciding by themselves to sell the same cameras in the US that they sell in Europe. It's purely a business decision, one that companies make all the time. They find it to their advantage to build one product to sell around the world.

No one cares what you think about EU regulations. They have their own reasons for their rules about camcorders. The US has plenty of rules and regulations that are imposed on European consumers for the same reasons. It's part of the global economy, and no single government is imposing their will on any other.

Your objections are pointless, off-target, and misguided. They are not based in logic or facts. I understand your objection to the restriction (although in reality people rarely record for 30+ minutes with a still camera) but your anger is misplaced.

Also, your story about Betamax is factually wrong. Sony wanted to control Betamax in ways that VHS didn't. They made a few poor technology choices and lost out in the marketplace as a result, even though by many standards their product was better. It had nothing to do with porn. It had everything to do with poor decisions by Sony and some marketing mistakes.

Contextual effect

I take the time to read through the manual ... I find a rather arbitrary looking restriction to the camera. I begin to inquire as to why it exists, bringing up this aspect about the "new introductions" of the video incorporated in the DSLRs that we are having to "deal with" as consumers ... and now you have me (or other photographers) deciding who's getting picked off with a .50 caliber sniper rig (oh, if I only had that luxury).

Guys, guys, guys ... try to remember the "scope" of my influence, here. I am afraid it does not extend into the realm of world politics, at that level. Believe me, they would be some very short discussions. I simply am pointing out that we are suffering an arbitrary reduction in the camera's capability, not because of a limit of the technology, but because some corporate-bozo is trying to simplify their responsibility. Sorry, that kind of behavior is going in the "unappreciated" folder and they are hearing about it, because it directly affects the way WE, as the photographic community and consumers, do things.

Again, it is another erosion perpetrated by some foreign market and we should not have to bear the burden. Is it right or fair? C'mon ... just admit it is wrong as "rats in the cellar" and we can go on to getting around to fixing it, instead of rolling over and having to tolerate another stupid and moronic imposition of some company's corporate will to appease the front office.

Please, try to leave it in the context it was offered. We are not going to have "world peace" in 29-minutes. According to some, it would take a whole lot less ...

David ... concerning Betamax, your rewrite of the "on the street" historical facts is another example of why people get so confused. I see this time and again ... you have two versions (or more) that surround almost any story of significance, the "corporate line" and then the "in-the-trenches" story. Personally, I tend to believe the "people-who-were-there" kind of story, but at best, we can hope it is a relative homogenization of the details. Obviously, when people's careers are at risk because of poor decision-making ... the numbers can vary as to WHO actually was involved. Someone is always selected to be the "scape-goat" and they get to dance down the street, being shunned, cursed and stoned, while most of the real perpetrators sit at their desks, wringing their hands and having the feeling that they dodged-another-bullet. It's nothing new and just the way of the world. "Better thee than ME!"

It is the "winner" that writes history. The "defeated" ... well, they become the fodder for a research piece, done some time in the future, usually by some student of history, who is not falling prey to the "corporate line."

I provided the seamy-underside to the Betamax issue, which most people will not discuss, and as disgusting as the porn-aspect is to such a tale, it is silly to wash over the relative facts involved in it. If there is a will, there is a way .. and VHS won the day with that one. Just ask the video store investors ... and the loss of revenue they suffered during that arbitrary decision-making. Things like this are not as simple and "tidy" as we all are led to believe. A good rule to live by when determining the truth (or something close to it): Follow the money and you will find the motivation.

Last edited by DonSchap; 09-01-2010 at 06:38 AM.

Don Schap - BFA, Digital Photography A Photographer Is ForeverLook, I did not create the optical laws of the Universe ... I simply learned to deal with them.
Remember: It is usually the GLASS, not the camera (except for moving to Full Frame), that gives you the most improvement in your photography.flickr® & Sdi

Again, it is another erosion perpetrated by some foreign market and we should not have to bear the burden.

You do understand that consumers in other countries are subject to the same types of restrictions and limitations imposed by US regulations? It's not a one way street. Companies make these decisions in order to take advantages of economies of scale, lower costs, and concentrated R&D efforts. Successful companies balance the need to simplify their product line with conflicting rules and regulations in individual markets.

If things keep going the way they look like they are ... there may be a recall to that "ship of state."

We will know in November. I suggest you keep your options open.

Don Schap - BFA, Digital Photography A Photographer Is ForeverLook, I did not create the optical laws of the Universe ... I simply learned to deal with them.
Remember: It is usually the GLASS, not the camera (except for moving to Full Frame), that gives you the most improvement in your photography.flickr® & Sdi

You're correct ...

This discussion is about a denial or limitation of service for no real tangible reason. It is wrongful and misleading.

We need to concentrate on having it corrected (through appropriate firmware) as soon as possible and with as much fanfare as we can stir up, to avoid any further abuses. People need to be aware of this kind blanket control and manipulation of a market's technologies and their associated capabilities.

Thank you for correcting that course of discussion.

Don Schap - BFA, Digital Photography A Photographer Is ForeverLook, I did not create the optical laws of the Universe ... I simply learned to deal with them.
Remember: It is usually the GLASS, not the camera (except for moving to Full Frame), that gives you the most improvement in your photography.flickr® & Sdi